The ability to evaluate and accurately articulate the outcomes associated with leadership development programs is critical to their continued financial and administrative support. With calls for outcome-based accountability, the need for rigorous evaluation is particularly relevant for those programs administered through the Cooperative Extension…

The purpose of the study was to examine the features of Texas's Alternative Route to Certification (ARC) programs in music education, the demographics and prior experiences of program completers, and the employment of ARC completers in K-12 public schools. Data were collected from the State Board of Educator Certification about demographics and…

Background: Energy drink consumption has become increasingly prevalent among US college students, yet little is known about current rates of consumption and reasons for consumption among current energy drink users, particularly differences related to gender and race/ethnicity. Objectives: To better understand energy drink consumption alone and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of FFA activities on critical thinking skills of Texas FFA members in three-star FFA chapters. This descriptive study was conducted in eight purposively selected three-star FFA chapters throughout Texas. Three-star chapters are those chapters who have emerged as outstanding programs…

Adapting campuses, classes, and processes to better serve Hispanic students will be a crucial step toward meeting national attainment goals. Since fall 2000, the number of Hispanic students in public colleges has effectively doubled. However, due to a Congressional ban on a student-level data system, the federal government is flying blind when it…

Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is a well-documented, valuable, and integral part of agricultural education programs (Bryant, 2003; Cheek, Arrington, Carter, & Randall, 1994; Deyoe, 1953; Dyer & Osborne, 1996; Moore, 1988; Roberts & Harlin, 2007). Cole and Connell (1993) found that there was little research regarding the…

This study was designed to explore the relationships between the perception of professors' instructional practices and international students' study anxiety. The dominant goal of this research was to investigate whether the professors' use of active and collaborative learning techniques reduces the study anxiety of international students. The…

Texas' Hispanic population has increased dramatically since 2000 as have Hispanic enrollments in higher education (+118%). Despite having the largest spike in college enrollment, Hispanic students' completion rates remain the lowest among all ethnic groups. To identify institutional practices that might encourage Hispanic student retention,…

In recent years, there has been a demand to teach engineering in high schools, particularly using a challenge-based curriculum. Many of these programs have the dual goals of teaching students the engineering design process (EDP), and teaching to deepen their understanding and ability to apply science and math concepts. Using both quantitative and…

The purpose of this study was to understand the demographic and cultural factors that define the student population of the South Texas masters'-level counseling program and to understand students' perceptions of online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses, based on their experiences with these types of classes. This study was s survey research…

The 2010 "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill greatly affected the Gulf Coast, and the news media reported information to wide audiences. Students enrolled in an online Environmental Geoscience course in fall 2010 voluntarily participated in a Gulf oil spill survey. More than 92% of the students (N = 77; 83 total enrollment), who were primarily…

This study involved identifying, categorizing, and comparing critical incidents related to qualifying dual credit high school students' decisions to enroll or not to enroll in dual credit coursework in either a traditional or early college high school. The purpose of the study was: (a) to identify the reasons qualifying students decide to enroll…

This study examined the relationships between teacher leadership, science teacher self-efficacy, and fifth-grade science student achievement in diverse schools in a San Antonio, Texas, metropolitan school district. Teachers completed a modified version of the "Leadership Behavior Description Question" (LBDQ) Form XII by Stogdill (1969),…

The study investigated the relationship between leadership behaviors of high school principals and teacher retention in Texas. A total of 88 Texas high school principals participated in the survey. Leadership behaviors were measured using the Culturally Adapted Leadership for Inspired Business Excellence and Results (CALIBER) Leadership Assessment…

This study examined the impact of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGC), and its Keystone Club (KC) component, on the leadership and citizenship development of its alumni. 14 alumni were interviewed using a structured interview technique. The constant comparative method was utilized to identify leadership traits and skills that alumni…